The present invention is directed to a hip, ridge or rake shingle.
In the roofing art, it is known to make hip, ridge or rake shingles of asphalt composition, generally comprising a mat, having asphalt on each surface and with granules on an outer surface and other particles such as mica, sand, or smaller granules on an underneath surface. It is also known that, when shingling a roof, it is desirable to have separate shingles for placement along hips of a roof and along the upper ridge or rake of a roof, to give a finished appearance to the roof. This is to be distinguished from cutting out shingle pieces from generally flat roofing materials, and applying them to the hip, ridge or rake, such that different sloped planar surfaces of hips, ridges or rake are covered. By the use of separate such shingles, different aesthetic considerations can be built into the hip, ridge or rake shingles, to yield a richer, thicker appearance to the shingles, to simulate natural shingle materials, such as slate, tile, wood shakes, or the like.
In addition, various design configurations can be built into the hip, ridge or rake shingle.
Other hip, ridge or rake shingles that are known in the prior art, are as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,182,400; 6,351,913; and 6,725,609. Such shingles give the appearance of substantial thickness, in having the functional feature of a plurality of layers of shingle material that are bent back upon themselves, such that two separate layers are folded inwardly beneath the major portion of the shingle, to yield a thick-appearing edge that is curved at the front of each shingle, which functions to provide the desired thickness. However, such shingles, because they involve two generally laminated layers of shingle material being folded essentially 180° back upon themselves, can have the disadvantage that cracks can form because of the thickness of the double fold, presenting weathering and aesthetic considerations that may not be the most desirable.